2021 - AGM Notes

Royal Wootton Bassett Volleyball Club

Notes of Annual General Meeting - 10/05/2021

Present: (via video conference)

Male players: Hayden Daniell, James Daniell, Pablo Jimenez Moreno, Ed Benham, Kaelan McIntosh, Sergejs Gubarevs, Andrew Rowe

Female players: Debbie Hanna, Donna Cunningham, Kat Grote, Zuzana Pritchard

Junior players: Reuben Benham, Josh Ducie & Pam (mum)

Others: Phil Heads (Chair, Head Coach), Cliff Ball (Ladies Coach), Julie Daniell (CWO)

Apologies were received from: Madison Heise, Maisie Daniell, Charlotte Daniel, Lisa Corrigan (Charley’s mum), Marketa Chrabatinova, Anji Sodera, Dave Maidment

Season 2020/21 reports:
After welcome by our Chair to 37th AGM the minutes of the 2020 AGM were referenced and accepted and season 2020/21 reports were referenced and accepted.

Chair’s Report:

• The indoor season was severely disrupted by the pandemic – there have been no competitions, and no adult training since the second lockdown (end of October).
• Junior numbers are looking healthy, and they are currently training on Sunday mornings.
• Since the end of April (change in lockdown rules) a number of our adult members have been participating in the Wiltshire 4v4 outdoor competition.
• Phil said thank you to:

• Volleyball England – for working with government to enable us to play volleyball when safe to do so
  • Lime Kiln Leisure Centre manager (Dan Spencer) and staff
  • WVA – especially Cliff for Wilts 4s
  • All our members – for following the COVID guidance to keep everyone safe
  • Our team Managers for Wilts 4s – Kaelen, Jimmy, Kat, Debbie, Lauren
  • Our current (furloughed!) Team Coaches – Cliff, Carl, Pablo, Laura
  • Julie, Debbie, Pablo – for helping to run our junior sessions
  • Donna – Treasurer’s role made more complicated by Covid stop/start.

Treasurers Report:

• Donna’s report showed club membership, income, expenditure and balance to mid-April.  Normal activities such as tournaments and league matches have not happened this season.  The mid-April balance will reduce when April-June hall hire is paid, and COVID complications will carry over into next season as some members continued paying during lockdown and will be credited.

Season 202/21 prospects:

Finance

• We are hoping for a full season of activity for 2021/22 though there will be some changes to the current formats of competitions which may impact on our anticipated costs.
• There are a healthy number of junior members with a waiting list. The ladies membership numbers are also good, though the men’s numbers are lower.
• At the time of the AGM there is a uncertainty with regards to the future availability of the sports hall at Lime Kiln with regards to opening hours, court availability, hire costs, the number of adults/juniors that are allowed to participate in any indoor sessions in the current climate, and website costs.  These uncertainties will need to be resolved before we can firm up next season’s member payments. 
• Questions were asked about whether junior payments cover the full cost of junior activity.  The current monthly junior fee is intended to make junior participation easy and affordable, yet cover the costs of membership, training and competitions.  However it may not always cover their hall hire costs under current COVID restrictions, and looking forward we expect competition fees to rise.
• As the range of club activities expands, we may consider a tiered membership cost system.  There was some discussion about the merits of a simple flat-rate payment for all versus separate ‘match fees’ for adults and juniors playing in competitions.  Members at the AGM advised we should keep our membership payments fair (so that players pay for what they get) yet simple (not too complicated for members or our treasurer).
• For a number of reasons we prefer to avoid handling cash and use online payments as much as possible.

Club session times – this season

• As COVID restrictions ease from 17^th May 2021 adults can return to playing indoor volleyball. The only sessions currently running are 2 x Junior sessions on Sundays between 10am-1pm (each 1hr:25min duration). This booking could be extended from 9am-1pm to accommodate the current junior sessions plus an adult session (all at 1hr:15min duration). Note: adult numbers may be limited under Covid guidelines.
• A poll of members attending the meeting suggested expanding this session to include an adult session would be well attended.
• Phil to check with the Lime Kiln Leisure Centre manager to see if there is availability to expand this session.

Club session times – next season

• Phil presented a paper outlining our club’s ambitions together with options for club sessions at Lime Kiln Leisure Centre.  During the pandemic the centre has closed early on Sundays, forcing us to move temporarily to Sunday mornings.  After the pandemic the centre will not return to late Sunday evening opening because it isn’t financially viable, so we won’t be able to return to our traditional Sunday 7-10pm times. 
• Subject to further negotiation, the centre may be able to offer us the following days/times: Thursday evening (1.5 hours); Friday evening (1.5 hours); Sunday morning (3 hours); Sunday evening (5-8pm).  Each has advantages and disadvantages.  A key consideration is to avoid clashing with national and regional competitions on Sunday daytimes, so that players and coaches can attend our club sessions.
• Members present at the AGM expressed a clear preference:

Thursday evening : women’s team training + WVL home matches for one team (c6 per season).

Sunday 5-6.30pm : juniors.

Sunday 6.30-8pm : men’s team training + WVL home matches for one team (c6 per season).

• Phil to:

• Negotiate with the Lime Kiln Leisure Centre manager to see if we can secure these days/times.
• Continue to look for ways to introduce a development pathway that caters for adults and juniors including beginners, playing for fun, and playing in competitive teams.  Once COVID restrictions are eased sufficiently, our summer outdoor sessions will return to being open for both members and non-members.
• Establish how many players will be available next season, and hence how many league teams to enter.

Website

• Kaelen, Richard and Phil have been looking at our website needs and options.  We want to use our website to advertise our presence, share club information and news, and perhaps with a shop function (e.g. to pay membership, shop for club uniform etc). Three options were put on the table:
  1. Continue with current web domain and improve content (cost £50 for server rental to Richard Howells)
  2. New website and domain from scratch (more effort, less keen)
  3. Use an out-sourced provider of sports club websites, to provide basic web functions, match availability/election and shop. It costs nothing for a basic website however the costs can go up to £30-£90 per month (£500-£1000 per year) plus transaction fees if we use this type of service.
• After discussing the pros and cons of each option members preferred to revamp the current website.

Election of committee officers:

Elected committee - all positions were confirm as elected/ re-elected for 2021/22 and agreed by the named persons:

Chair = Phil Heads

Treasurer = Donna Cunningham

Secretary = Debbie Hanna

Welfare Officer = Julie Daniell

Head Coach = Phil Heads

Volunteers to be appointed by the committee

Sadly Carl and Pablo are moving on, so we thanked them for their valued contributions to our club.  We resolved to recruit and train more volunteer coaches over the coming months, to sustain the club’s ambitions and the level of activity that players want.

Coach (Women) = Cliff Ball

Coach (Men/Mixed) = James Daniell, Laura Kulmala and other volunteers

Coach (Junior) = Phil Heads assisted by Debbie Hanna and Kat Grote

Team Contact (Women SW League) = Helen Norrvall + Zuzana Pritchard

Team Contact (Junior SW & Wilts Competitions) = Phil Heads and/or other volunteers

Team Contact (Men/Mixed A Wilts League) = James Daniell

Team Contact (Men/Mixed B Wilts League) = Dave Maidment

WVA Meeting Rep = Phil + Committee take turns

Social Organiser = Zuzana, when Covid restrictions allow

Web Administrator = Richard Howells

Web Content = Kaelen and Phil

Any other business

• Phil to liaise with junior players and their parents re: transitions between age groups and into adult sessions.
• Summer Tournaments:  Whitefield – Entries open Saturday 15^th May 2021.  Debbie is organising a women’s team.  A volunteer is needed to organise a men’s/mixed team.

• Phil is having an exploratory conversation with a performance mindset coach to see what they could do for club and the costs.  Update to follow.
• Cliff took us on a trip down memory lane to when the club first started, outlining the club’s successes over the years.  This memorabilia will be added to the club website when it is updated for all to see.
• Cliff also highlighted the availability of funding (from WVA and our club) towards coaching fees available to members who wish to develop their coaching skills and qualifications.
• Pablo who has been a very valued member of the club as a friend, mentor, adult/junior coach and player announced he will sadly be leaving the club in September to return to Spain. A very emotional Pablo told us how welcoming and easy it was to become part of the club and how sad he is to be leaving.  He especially wanted to thank Jimmy who made that initial contact with him and welcomed him to the club. Jimmy has since become a great friend.....  Don’t worry Pablo we will all be over to see you in Spain!!! You will be missed and a big thank you for all the time and effort you put into the club.

Club AGM 7pm-8:50pm